QUESTION: The Synod on synodality is going to take place shortly. How will the voice of the Church in India be reflected in the Synod? Did the voice of the faithful address properly in the synodal process in our country? Will it have enough space in the forthcoming synod?  – Job C.T.

ANSWER : Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST

The much awaiting Synod on synodality which lasts for almost a month begins in Vatican on the coming October 4. We hope that it will be a historical event because the Catholic Church has never been such a collection of different perspectives and expectations that also favour different theologies, visions and cultural heritages. The laity will participate in the synod as ‘full participants’ with the power to vote on the final document. Synodality and synods have been high on the agenda in the Catholic Church since Pope Francis took office for ten years ago. He envisages an open and renewed Church through the synod that may help the entire faithful to lead a more meaningful Christian life, committed to the gospel values amidst different crises. When Pope Francis announced the synod and published Vade mecum – the preparatory document- with clear guidelines around three years back, we had many hopes and aspirations and there were many observations about a radical renewal of the Church after the second Vatican Council. As its finale is at hand, it is an apt time to reflect on the process that has taken place in the Indian Church.

Socio-Cultural Reality of the Indian Context

When we speak of the Indian Church, first of all, we have to think of its diversity which consists not only of the existence of three sui juris churches, but also of its heterogeneous and diverse linguistic and socio-cultural realities. While focusing on the identity and uniqueness of each individual church, how much importance have we given during the synodal process to the plurality and diversities existing in our country? Of course, we had many meetings, seminars and confreres at regional and national levels with many heat discussions and deliberations. However, have we considered the plurality and socio-cultural diversities seriously and was there any attempt to incorporate this fundamental human ethos into the reality of the Church? In one of his articles on Synodality, John Dayal, a prominent journalist and activist pointed out that ‘clericalism, gender justice, and the insidious presence of caste’ are the three most “virulent features, which have beset the Indian Church for decades.” Do we have any genuine attempt to address these and other similar issues during the synodal process?

Justice and righteousness are the most fundamental values in the gospel and are the basic signs of the Kingdom of God. Gender justice has been one of the crucial issues in India for decades. Despite many provisions and laws, gender-grounded demarcation and violence continue to persist in various forms across the country, affecting the opportunity for education and employment openings in society. As per the National Sample Survey, only 69% of women in India are knowledgeable, compared to 84 % of men. Regarding employment, only 20 % of working-age women are in employment, compared to 76 % of men. According to a 2022 report, of the six million crimes that police in India recorded, 4,28278 cases were crimes against women. Compared to 2016, in 2022 there is a rise of 26.35% on crime against women. The Church in India is not exempted from this social reality, which calls for an urgent need to challenge gender conceptions and traditional gender places that support gender-grounded demarcation, especially within the administrative structure of the Church.

“One of the major questions before the Indian delegates to the synod is about the voice of the dissent. How much space have we given to hear the voice of the dissent in this process?

Along with gender justice, the issues of righteousness and fairness should be included on other similar issues like, couples of interfaith marriages, the divorced and remarried who yearn to receive the sacraments, the unwed mothers who are excluded from the community, women who are crushed by the burden on abortion, and the LGBT persons. Though we see many theological and pastoral openings to many of these issues, an uncompromising attitude and lack of openness from some leaders as well as members of the Church prevent people from understanding the pain and agony of these good number of people. It is easy to brand many of their acts as ‘intrinsic evil’ and to keep them away, but to understand them and welcome them needs patient and attentive listening. Unless their pain is addressed with the open heart of ‘a mother’, the synodal process will not be effective. Justice is not a question of mere principles, rather it is to be achieved through sustained sweat. Moreover, it is also a question whether have we given “the fundamental importance of the voice of the poor and excluded” as envisaged by the preparatory document (No.31). The views from the pews are important and are not to be ignored.

Listen to the Voice of the Other

From the very beginning, the emphasis of the Synodal process was on listening rather than preaching. It is accepted as a sign that the Church realised that there is no alternative to listening. “The purpose of the Synod,” states Vade mecum, “is not to produce documents, but ‘to plant dreams, draw forth prophesies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands” (No. 32). This ideal is to be realised through mutual listening and learning, the way the Church lives and demonstrates collegiality. Even the Pope makes important decisions after consulting with the bishops around the world and also some experts on a particular subject of importance. The early Church lived and practised this synodal way. However, over the centuries many elements of authoritarianism and clericalism crept into it and the role of the laity receded to the background and they were made only to pray, pay and obey. The International Theological Commission, in its document, ‘Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church’ (2 March 2018), clarifies that Synodality is “the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelizing mission” (No. 6).

As the synodal journey is in the final stage, it is high time for Church India to think about its way of mutual listening. Ironically the Indian Church is undergoing an unparalleled crisis during these synodal years. Apart from the external challenges from different kinds of extremists, the internal crises affect the morale and decorum of its members. The most important reason for this crisis is the absence of listening. We have quite vivid experiences of the ‘disobedient’ clergy and lay people in the Church. While the hierarchy (both bishops and priests) demands obedience from below, they (both clergy and lay people) would rather request the authorities to ‘listen’ and ‘understand’ them properly. Many are distanced from the Church, just saying that it is none of their matter. Some would rather speak about their relationship with a God without a mediator.

One of the major questions before the Indian delegates to the synod is about the voice of the dissent. How much space have we given to hear the voice of the dissent in this process? In our synthesis report have we included the voice of the distanced from the Church? How far were the chances for priests, religious and lay people to express themselves without fear, coercion and undue influence? How many of my readers had the opportunity to share genuinely your joys and sorrows, grievances or offences, anxieties and agonies, hopes and aspirations in any of the synodal processes? When the majority of our leaders are guided by a ‘closed-circle’ proper listening may not take place.

Moreover, the way we have addressed the ‘voice of the dissent’ is a serious matter of concern. When one raises a question or criticises, it is easy to brant and segregate him/her and to edit out the ‘uncomfortable’ voices conveniently. In many of the cases, the critique may help for genuine growth than the blind obedient children. RomilaThapar, in her book ‘The Voice of the Dissent’, calls the dissenting group as the “other”. She goes on to discuss the interface of this “other” with established society and religion. In this context, she writes, “those who we see as essentially different often help us to define ourselves, both individually and socially”. Similarly, the uncomfortable questions and criticisms should be seen as a sign of growth and maturity, not as a threat against one’s authority. Synodality offers a way of understanding and experiencing the Church where legitimate differences find room in the logic of a reciprocal exchange of gifts in the light of truth. We should not forget that unless people are allowed to speak without conditions, control or fear – as was the practice in the early Church – it will lead to a much bigger crisis than it faces now.

Invitation for Renewal and Change

As mentioned, clericalism is prevalent in the Indian Church and in majority of cases, the activities of the Church depend on the clergy. This leads to different kinds of corruption and scandal, like nepotism, favouritism, simony, spiritual worldliness, tepidness, hypocrisy, triumphalism, arrogance, self-gratification, financial misstatement, sexual abuse and so on. As Pope Francis points out, “ambition, greed, and indifference to the needs of others can afflict pastors.”

Money is a problem and its abuse is a temptation in every walk of life, and the Church is not exempted from it in a way. Regarding the corruption in the Church, the lifestyle and attitude of the clergy are criticised and it is accused that this affluent and privileged group in the Church enjoys wealth and money and leads a lavish lifestyle. In some cases, the clergy also misuse the power they obtain in the parishes and the reputation they get from society for their gains. Their approach towards the laity wounds and dehumanises them. The statement of American canon lawyer Thomas Doyle OP, is true in the case of the Church in India as well; “Even intelligent and educated people become childish when they enter a church”. They are “infantilised” into obedience, and thus are consumed with guilt and anxiety should they ever contravene what father says.

This Synod is a call to shun clericalism: “The whole Church is called to deal with the weight of a culture imbued with clericalism that she inherits from her history, and with those forms of exercising authority on which the different types of abuse (power, economic, conscience, sexual) are grafted” (Vade mecum, No.6). Pope Francis distinctly asked the laity to be more active in the synodal process and for him, it was not a clerical or hierarchical exercise but he expected the active participation of the whole people of God, that would ultimately lead to a structural change of the Church. As Felix Wilfred rightly observed; “The Catholic Church’s hierarchy should undergo deep structural changes and share administrative powers with all Catholics if it wants to create a synodal Church as envisioned by Pope Francis.” Let us hopefully wait for the final result of the Synod.